632 Political and Commercial Relations with the [Oct. 



past been raging among the native chiefs. Salang6re was labouring 

 under serious apprehensions of an attack from Siac on the opposite 

 coast of Sumatra, the chief of which was said to be collecting a fleet 

 of prdhus for that purpose. The Raja of Salangdre was employed in 

 repairing his fort, and remounting the numerous guns that lay scat- 

 tered on and around the hill on which the fort stands. Perak was 

 quiet, and occupied in agriculture and the tin trade. Our old ally, the 

 ex-king of Que'dah, and the Sultan of Joh6re were living on their hand- 

 some pensions at Malacca. The latter has since died (September 2nd, 

 . 835). Near the close of 1835 no steps had been taken with regard to 

 the succession. According to treaty, the pension was to expire with 

 the Sultan ; but out of consideration to his widow and children, an 

 allowance of 100 Spanish dollars per mensem has been granted her by 

 the Straits Government, pending a reference to Bengal. 



The late Sultan first married with the present Bandahdra of Pa- 

 hdng's daughter ; by whom he has no issue. By his second wife, 

 the present Tumdngong of Singapore's sister, he had a son, surnamed 

 Tuanku besdr, who married one of the Tumdngong 's daughters, but 

 died without issue. His third wife was a woman of low birth, by 

 whom he has a son now living at Singapore, named Abdal Jalil. He 

 is about 21 years of age. Not being of noble blood by his mother's 

 side, his claims to the succession are not considered good by the 

 Malays. By the fourth and present wife, who is of royal extraction, he 

 has two sons, fine lads, — and two girls : they reside with their 

 mother at Malacca. The eldest of the boys is considered the late 

 Sultan's heir. 



The ex-king of Que'dah, I believe, left Malacca towards the end of 

 1 835 for Belli in Sumatra. He had, in 1833, expressed to me his 

 determination of doing so, being disgusted at the answers given to 

 his earnest and repeated applications for redress against the Siamese, 

 and to his request for permission to reside at Pinang, which had then 

 been recently refused by Lord William Bentinck. He said that he 

 had many friends at Belli, and hinted at the possibility of his mak- 

 ing a final attempt to expel, with their assistance, the Siamese from 

 his dominions. Perak and the whole Malay population of Que'dah, 

 and probably that of Patdni, are greatly under his influence ; and it 

 would require but little persuasion to excite the whole of the neigh- 

 bouring Malayan States to take up arms against their haughty 

 oppressors. 



With regard to British influence over the Malay States, it might 

 unquestionably be much greater than it is ; and indeed we might 

 possess almost sovereign power over the whole peninsula, were we 



